FOLEY, Alabama -- With an eye on the growing local food movement, the Alabama Festival of Flavor is on tap Oct. 19-20.

The festival, centering on the Buy Fresh, Buy Local and farm-to-table concepts, is taking the place of Foley’s Heritage Harbor Days event and is likely the first one of its kind in the area, according to Kristin Roberson, events director for the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce.

“Our event focuses on all things Alabama,” Roberson said, “as far as the overall culture and history of the state of Alabama as well as the different ties to the farming community and the seafood industry. All the things that make our state what it is today.”

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Foley Heritage Park, corner of U.S. 98 and Ala. 59

Friday, Oct. 19

Chicago Street Supper Club6-9 p.m.

Tickets are $100 per person and include a multi-course dinner paired with local wines.

A special Friday night event, dubbed the Chicago Street Supper Club, will kick off the festivities with a multi-dish dinner made from Alabama-raised beef, Gulf seafood and locally grown produce. College students from Faulkner State’s Gulf Coast Culinary Institute will prepare each course, which will be paired with wine.

The grounds at Heritage Park will open at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 20 with a farmers market and a full schedule of educational experiences that promote and celebrate Alabama’s roots, Chamber President Donna Watts said.

“We have a lot of ‘edutainment’ scheduled where we’ll actually be teaching classes,” Watts said. “One of the classes is ‘How to Cook Mama’s Gumbo’ and we’ll do lots of other things, some fall vegetable dishes, several different kinds of classes that will be going on. One will be centered around oysters, all the things you can do with oysters, so it not only be produce.”

Some classes and seminars will require a fee, while others are free. Festival-goers can also learn how to pair wine with Alabama dishes, delve into the craft of beer brewing and winemaking along with tastings. A special area will also be set up with flat-screen televisions tuned to football games so SEC fans shouldn’t miss a beat.

“It’s going to be a great event and a fun event for everybody,” Watts said. “Beers that we’re having are not all from Alabama but they’re from the south. There will be opportunities to sample Alabama wine -- we’ll have several of those. The pairing will not only be with Alabama wine but with others as well. We’re not quite at the point in Alabama that we have enough variety that we can pull that off yet, but we’ll keep working at that.”

Culinary students from local high schools and Faulkner State will square off in cupcake-making competitions, while Chefs for a Cause will put their skills to the test.

“There are five local chefs -- we consider them celebrities because they are well-respected and well-known in the area -- and they’ll be cooking and demonstrating how to prepare dishes made from Alabama foods, and then the audience will be able to observe this and sample it and actually vote with their dollars which dish is the best. All the money that is raised through that effort will go to sustainable farming.”

A special Children’s Village will be available on the grounds. From an arts-and-crafts parade to root beer tastings to learning about vegetables in a unique way, activities are planned throughout the day.

“There will be a vegetable carver,” Roberson said. “He’ll be carving vegetables and showing kids that vegetables are good for them. He’ll carve animal shapes and do some fun things. That will be a free seminar that kids can attend.”

In its first year running the festival for the city, the chamber teamed up with Faulkner State’s culinary institute and brainstormed the first-ever event.

“We talked about what was interesting, what was fun, what people seemed to be hungry for, no pun intended,” Watts said. “You know there are so many people who are trying to do the right thing for our communities. From having rain barrels on their property to help water things rather than using up the precious resource of water, and also composting.

“We’ll have people here talking about how to feed your family from a garden that’s smaller than a parking space. So it’s going to run the whole gamut of ‘edutainment’ about food and things that are centered around food.”

A fireworks display will close out the festivities at 8 p.m.

While most events are free, some require a ticket. The beer and wine tasting is $30 per person; cooking classes are $20 per person and the root beer tasting is $10 person. Ticket will be available at the Alabama Festival of Flavor information booths.

The Friday night Chicago Street Supper Club farm-to-table dinner will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. in Heritage Park. Tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased online at www.AlabamaFestivalOfFlavor.com or by calling the chamber office at 251-943-3291.

The dinner is sponsored by Coast360 and the main festival is presented by Riviera Utilities, among others.

For more information, including a schedule of events, visit www.AlabamaFestivalofFlavor.com or “like” the AlabamaFestivalofFlavor page on Facebook. Anyone interested in volunteering for the event is encouraged to call 251-943-3291.

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Parking and Admission

Admission to the festival is free on Saturday, Oct. 20. Free parking is located around Foley’s Heritage Park and throughout downtown Foley. All parking is within a short walking distance to the festival grounds. Designated parking areas are reserved for Handicapped Parking (with appropriate decals), VIP Parking (pass required) and Volunteer Parking (pass required).

Maps and Directions

The festival is in the Foley Heritage Park, U.S. 98/Ala. 59 intersection.

From Interstate 65, take exit 37 (Rabun/Bay Minette) Gulf Shores Parkway. Head south on State Highway 287, it will merge with Ala. 59. Continue south for about 40 miles. Festival grounds will be on your left before approaching the intersection of 98/59. From Interstate 10, take the highway 59 exit (Loxley) travel south on 59 approximately 15 miles. Turn left onto U.S. 98. Festival grounds will be on your left before approaching the intersection of 98/59.